St. Joseph's College, Colombo

St. Joseph's College is a selective-entry Roman Catholic school in Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1896 by French Missionaries led by Rev. Father Christopher-Ernest Bonjean O.M.I. The college has over 4,000 enrolled students with a staff of over 450 as of 2023.[1][2] Former students include the first President of the Maldives, Mohamed Amin Didi, the third President of Sri Lanka, Ranasinghe Premadasa, Nirj Deva Member of the British Parliament and Cardinal Thomas Cooray, the first Cardinal from Sri Lanka.[3]The (Latin) motto of the college is In Scientia et Virtute, meaning "In Knowledge and Virtue".

St. Joseph's College
School Facade
Location
T. B. Jayah Mawatha, Colombo 10

Sri Lanka
Coordinates6.924822°N 79.860405°E / 6.924822; 79.860405
Information
TypeGovernment-aided private school
MottoLatin: In Scientia et Virtute
(In Knowledge and Virtue)
Religious affiliation(s)Christianity
DenominationRoman Catholic
Established2 March 1896 (1896-03-02)
RectorRanjith Andradi
Staff450
Grades1 – 13
GenderMale
Age5 to 19
Area6.1 ha (15 acres)
Houses  Bonjean
  Marque
  Melizan
  Courdet
Color(s)Blue and white
   
AlumniList of Saint Joseph's College, Colombo alumni
Alumni nameOld Boys Union of St. Joseph's College, Colombo
Websitestjosephscollege.lk

The school is a fee-levying school which receives some state funding while also relying on funds from an extensive network of alumni worldwide.[4]

History

With the foundation stone laid in December 1894, by the Papal Delegate for Asia, Rev. Msgr. St. Joseph's College, Colombo, was declared open on the 2nd of March 1896. [5]From a humble beginning of an initial 211 students in the school proper and 96 students in the preparatory school, Rev. Fr. Charles Collin, was appointed the First Rector. The College building was formally declared open by Governor of Ceylon West Ridgeway and was blessed by Most Rev. Msgr. Zaleski, and the Archbishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Melizan OMI.

The Rector's office, the College office and the classrooms were all housed in the first building - the Clock Tower Building of the College, housing the classrooms, the Rector's office and the College offices. The College magazine was started in 1905. The Bonjean Hall was the third building to be completed, by Rev. Fr. Charles Lytten, the second Rector.

Rector, Rev. Fr. Emil Nicholas OMI was the third Rector appointed in 1912. One of Rev. Fr. Emil Nicholas' greatest achievements was the creation of the first Religious Association of the College, the Guild of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.[6]

Four years later, in 1919, another educationist, scientist and administrator, Rev. Fr. Maurice J. Legoc OMI was appointed the fourth Rector. Continuing the expansion to meet the growing demand for education, in 1933, the present Primary Building, originally named "The Maurice Block", became the newest addition. The next large expansion was the South Wing, a two-storied building to house classrooms.

Being a scientist, Rev. Fr. Legoc in the 1930's could foresee the significance of science in education and its role in a changing world. He took leadership in placing great emphasis on incorporating science subjects into the curriculum. As a botanist, he published Tropical Botany, a text that was widely known in Ordinary Level classes, both in India and Sri Lanka. Fr. Legoc was also responsible and introduced a scheme of scholarships for the under privileged students, making a difference to the lives of the needy and that of the future generations. Fr. Legoc's vision was to widen the provision of education, continuing to make a difference to the lives of those we had to reach. The initiative saw the birth of,

(a) St. Joseph's College South, later St. Peter's College Colombo in 1922

(b) St. Joseph's College Negombo Branch

(c) St. Joseph's College Wattala Branch

(d) St. Paul's College, Waragoda (1935)

(e) St. John's College, Dematagoda (1939)

On the feast of St. Joseph, 19th March 1929, the foundation stone for the College Chapel was laid by the Archbishop of Colombo.

Rev. Fr. Peter Pillai OMI was the fifth Rector, from 1940 to 1961, the first Sri Lankan, a great scholar widely respected in Asia. The Grotto at St. Joseph's, a replica of the Grotto in Lourdes, France, was built in 1940. The College buildings were taken over by the Army during World War II, but the institution continued education with branches housed in Homagama, Kelaniya, Gampaha and later at Borella.

Sports

Cricket has been played at the school since its founding. At that time it was the only Catholic school in a group of elite, mainly secular or Protestant Christian, private boys' schools which often played against one another.[7] Many alumnae played on the national team.[8] Many alumni have played for the national team.

St. Joseph's oldest cricket rival is St. Anthony's College, Kandy. They compete for the Murali-Vaas Trophy, which was inaugurated in 2007 and named after St. Anthony's alumnus Muttiah Muralitharan and St. Joseph's alumnus Chaminda Vaas. In 2012 the two schools celebrated their historic 100th encounter.[9] The most high-profile rivalry is against St. Peter's College, a brother school founded as its satellite campus and also known as the St. Joseph's College South. The annual match-up is known locally as the "Battle of the Saints" or "Joe–Pete".[10]

Rectors

Rectors of the College[11]

NamePeriod
Rev Fr Charles Collin 1896 – 1910
Rev Fr Charles Lytton 1910 – 1912
Rev Fr Emile Nicholas 1912 – 1919
Rev Fr Maurice Legoc 1919 – 1940
Rev Fr Peter A. Pillai 1940 – 1961
Rev Fr W. L. A. Don Peter 1961 – 1971
Rev Fr Mervyn Weerakkody 1971 – 1974
Rev Fr Quintus Fernando 1974 – 1979
Rev Fr Neville Emmanuel 1979 – 1983
Rev Fr Stanley Abeysekara 1983 – 1996
Rev Fr Victor Silva 1996 – 2005
Rev Fr Sylvester Ranasinghe 2005 - 2014
Rev Fr Travis Gabriel 2014 – 2019
Rev Fr Ranjith Andradi 2019 - Present

Notable Teachers

References
  1. Wright, Arnold (1999). Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon: Its History, People, Commerce ... pp. 114–115. ISBN 9788120613355. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  2. Pinto, Leonard (14 July 2015). Being a Christian in Sri Lanka: Historical, Political, Social, and Religious ... ISBN 9781452528625. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  3. "Information | His Eminence Thomas Benjamin Cardinal Cooray". Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
  4. "St. Joseph's College Colombo | 10 Old Boys' Union - SJC Old Boys' Union". Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  5. Walpola, Thilina. "St. Joseph's College, Colombo – a dignified 125 years". Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  6. "St. Joseph's College marching towards 127th anniversary". 3 November 2022. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  7. "When Royal thrashed Cambrians in inaugural match in 1897". Daily News. 21 July 2013. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  8. "When Royal thrashed Cambrians in inaugural match in 1897". Daily News. 21 July 2013. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  9. "Two saints at battle and the stakes are high". The Sunday Times. 12 February 2012. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  10. "Joe-Pete big match opens new chapter". Sunday Observer. 28 February 2016. Archived from the original on 28 February 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  11. "About - St. Joseph's College". Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.

Senewiratne, A.M., Till The Mountains Disappear: The Story of St.Joseph's College, 2020, p. 246 (+XIV) *

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